A backlash against access to abortion in some EU member states in the past few years is "deeply troubling", the Council of Europe warned on Tuesday (5 December).

In the majority of EU countries abortions are legal, but in some states a wave of "retrogressive restrictions" are threatening women's health and well-being, the European human rights organisation's report said.

Abortion in the UK should be fully decriminalised, a group of medical professionals will say today in a landmark move.

The country faces a “crisis point in abortion provision” and reform of the law is needed, the president of the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health, which represents 16,000 GPs, specialists, nurses and midwives, will warn.

Amnesty International has welcomed today’s passing of a motion at Sinn Féin’s Ard Fheis which extends the party’s support for abortion access to when a woman or girl’s physical or mental health is at risk.

The motion also reasserts their opposition to the criminalisation of women who make the decision to have an abortion. It also commits the party to developing a women’s health policy, which takes into consideration the recommendations of the Citizens’ Assembly on access to abortion in the Republic of Ireland.

Abortion is still illegal in this country
Fifty years after the Abortion Act, women are still dying from being denied basic services, write activists from Feminist Fightback

November 15, 2017

On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Abortion Act, activists from Feminist Fightback found ourselves dressed as flight attendants, transforming the London Overground into the cabin of an Abortion Airlines Boeing 67. We distributed our own version of inflight safety cards and presented a special inflight safety announcement, advising passengers that ‘the exits…lead to an unsafe backstreet abortion and possible death…please assume the brace position for the duration of this Abortion Airlines flight”. We were met with whoops and cheers from passengers who, like us, are appalled by the fact that the Act still does not extend to the North of Ireland and that at least two people per day have to board a flight to travel to England to terminate a pregnancy. Fifty years on from the Abortion Act there are still people living in the UK denied this basic human right. This includes many migrants who, as NHS charges are introduced and health workers legally obligated to check immigration status, are deterred from accessing both abortion and maternity services.

Abortion in the British Isles, France and North America since 1800
Claire CHARLOT's picture

Announcement published by Claire CHARLOT on Monday, November 6, 2017
Type: Call for Papers
Date: November 6, 2018 to November 8, 2018
Location: France
Subject Fields: Social History / Studies, American History / Studies, Canadian History / Studies, British History / Studies, French History / Studies

International Conference organised by the University of Paris-Sorbonne (France), 6-8 November 2018.

Around the world, 2018 will mark the anniversary of a series of events relating to the decriminalisation of abortion: the enforcement of the UK Abortion Act 1967 (50 years), the US Supreme Court ruling of Roe vs. Wade (45 years), and the Canada Supreme Court ruling of R. v. Morgentaler (25 years). The Republic of Ireland is also planning a referendum on the possible repeal of Article 8 of its Constitution which, if approved, would lead to the decriminalisation of abortion there too. In addition, shortly after the British General Election of 2017, Prime Minister, Theresa May, announced that women from Northern Ireland (currently excluded from the British Abortion Act) would be allowed to travel to mainland Britain to secure an abortion on the National Health Service.